Fresh Loaf

Former Gov. Roy Barnes, state Rep. Stacey Abrams and Red Clay Democrat Shyam Reddy will headline a “get-out-the-vote” fundraiser at Manuel’s Tavern this Thursday, 7-9 p.m. The event is hosted by the Vote From Home, a political action committee that wants to secure 10,000 early voters in Ohio to help turn the crucial state for Democrats in the November presidential election.

It’s free and open to the public. I may attend, which could be frightening, as I’ve been told Barnes and I look very similar.

UPDATE: The event is open to the public, but it’s not free. Tickets are $50, $25 for students. A spokesperson says Barnes will speak and it’ll be an informal affair.

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Check out former Gov. Roy Barnes’ eloquent column in this week’s Creative Loafing “Secession” cover package, lamenting the not-too-distant past when:

The Atlanta region and the state were long and deep in leadership, and it paid off with huge dividends. Cigar-chomping Tom Murphy could laugh about Atlanta folks, but he was shrewd enough to understand that multimillion-dollar investments had to be made by the state in such facilities as the World Congress Center. In the ebb and flow of politics and reality, everyone cussed Atlanta but understood that for Georgia to prosper, and produce extra money to spend out in the state, Atlanta had to prosper.

Barnes’ criticism of the current “petty politics of petty politicians” can be taken as sour grapes. Fair enough. It’s gotta be difficult to watch Sonny Perdue petulantly misgovern Georgia after having lost an election to him.

But I’m impressed by Barnes’ honesty and optimism. The former reminds me that he’s vowed never to run for public office again; the latter makes me think he’s one of the few people who could pull the state out of it’s current rut.

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